Not JK Rowling.  Don't own Harry Potter.  Have borrowed her characters for my own amusement.  Plot, not matter how dull, is mine.  Kali is mine.  Servius is mine.   If you want to borrow them, let me know.

Part Thirty:  The Resurrectus Charm

The door flew open and allowed the entrance of five, snow-drenched Weasley children and one, very wet, Kali Strauser.  Shaking the snow off their cloaks, lumps of the white substance fell to the kitchen floor in unceremonious piles and instantly began to melt in the warmth.  Charlie collected the soaking cloaks and carried them into the living room where he laid them by the fire to dry off.  Returning to the kitchen, the group sat around the table, and Percy stared at them, his upper lip curling in something like disgust.

"It's Christmas afternoon," he told them.  "The least you could do is not traipse through here, making footprints all over the place.  Mother is going to have to clean that up.  Don't you have any respect for all that she does, even on Christmas?"

"We have plenty of respect, Perce," said Charlie, ruffling his younger brother's hair.  It was not an action that pleased Percy.  "You need to relax.  We'll clean it up, won't we?"

"Sure," said Fred, not sounding like he intended to clean it up in the least.

"I still can't believe that come out.  You were amazing, Kali."

"Thank you, but I know," she replied, grinning.

"No, I mean, you were really amazing.  I've never seen anyone so vicious with a snowball before, aside from Fred, that is.  You were truly amazing."  Charlie was in awe, staring across the table at Kali.  From the far corner of the room, Snape gave a snort at the intended compliment.  He did not see the merit at being amazing with snowballs.

"I told you she was good," said Fred.  "I'm just glad she was on my team this time and not against me.  She whipped my arse yesterday, and I did not care to have a repeat of that performance."

"I should have taken your lead," said Charlie.  "Here I was thinking it would be a good idea to join Ron and Ginny.  I mean, help the younger kids out."

"We aren't that young," said Ron, sounding perturbed.

"Of course not.  You just don't have the skills that Fred, George, or I do.  Neither one of you ever really got the talent for packing and throwing a good snowball.  I don't know what it is.  Bill is even worse than you are.  And let's not even get started on Percy, here.  It's been so long since you've joined our festivities, Perce, that I don't believe you even remember the rules."

"Since when are there rules in a snowball fight?" asked Percy, not looking like he cared about the answer.

"Since Fred, George, and I made out the rule book on snowball war in the Weasley family."

"That must have been after I grew out of playing in the snow."

"I thought you were never too old to play in the snow," said Kali.

"Percy seems to disagree with us on that point," said Fred.  "I say we let him go.  It's his own fault that he wants to miss out on all the fun.  Anyway, Kali, remind me to show you the rule book sometime.  I'm sure you'll find some of the fouls extremely interesting.  Perhaps we should add that bit about faking injuries and pulling the opponent face-first into the snow."

"Perhaps," she said, smirking.

"You know, if you and Ron break up, you're still welcome to come back to the Burrow.  Anyone who can throw a good snowball is one of us."

"Thanks, though I don't think you need to be worrying about that anytime soon."  She cast a sideways glance to Ron who had gone from rolling his eyes at his brother's statement to blushing a light pink.  Beneath the table, Kali let her hand fall on top of Ron's and wrapped her fingers around his.  Charlie cast a knowing glance between the two of them.

"Er - right, well - er -" said Charlie, whose incoherent phrases were only making Ron blush more.

"What does he know that we don't?" asked George

"Plenty," Ginny replied.

"What do you say we all go into the living room?" Mrs. Weasley interrupted, coming to both Ron's and Kali's rescue, at least for the moment.

Snape cast a smirk to Kali before following Mrs. Weasley out of the room.  Both Fred and George were curiously eyeing Ron as they pushed their chairs away from the table and followed in the same direction their mother had gone out of the kitchen.  Percy had gone after the twins and Charlie after Percy, winking at Kali and his brother before disappearing through the doorway.

"Sorry about my family," muttered Ron once they were alone.

"What's to be sorry for?  I adore them," she answered, wrapping her arms around his waist.  "If anyone should be apologizing, it's me.  I'm sorry my daddy was a pain this morning opening presents."

"A pain?  First of all, he was only a pain to you.  Fred and George are starting to actually like him.  In fact, I'm starting to actually like him, though not for the same reasons.  He's being civil to me, and they're finding him human.  He certainly does spoil you, doesn't he?"

"I felt so bad.  My pile was huge next to yours.  Then again, there's only one of me and there's seven of you."

"You get enough presents for seven."

"But no invisibility cloak."

"What a shame," he said, leaning down to capture her lips with his own.  "Don't forget.  Tonight, at midnight, meet me down in the living room so I can tell you about my gift."

"You're making me nervous with the secrecy," she admitted.

"You aren't the only one who's nervous."

"Ronnie!" shouted George, practically skipping in the kitchen and leaning against the doorjamb.  "We know you want to stay in here and snog Kali's pretty little head all day long, but mum has requested your presence in the living room.  I was kind enough to volunteer to retrieve you."

"I'm grateful," mumbled Ron.

"You two are so cute," he cooed in the most annoying, motherly tone he could muster, pinching Ron's cheeks and ruffling his hair as he walked by.

They headed into the living room where everyone was seated around the fire and laughing, apparently at something Mrs. Weasley had just said.  From closer inspection, it was some story about Charlie when he was little and a minor accident with the pet puffskein and a pot of floo powder.  Sitting in his mother's lap, Ron was dismayed to see, was the Weasley family picture album.  Across the room, Snape looked up from a photograph his mother had passed to him, giving Ron one of his patented, wicked smirks.  The thought of running away was the only thing Ron could come up with to escape extreme embarrassment.

"Oh there you are, Ron," said Mrs. Weasley.  "I was just about to tell Severus about the time your father came home and found you outside dancing in nothing but your knickers."  Next to Ron, Kali failed at suppressing a snigger.  "You were so adorable."

"You were so cute, Ronniekins," cooed Fred.  Ron shot him a glare.

"Can't we talk about something else?" pleaded Ron, his eyes still glued on the photo album.

"We could talk about when you released the owls in Eeylops Owl Emporium because you thought it was unfair to keep them locked up," said Fred.  Both Kali and Snape cocked an eyebrow in slight amusement, looking too much like father and daughter to Fred, who couldn't even continue with the story.

"You released all the owls in Eeylops?"

"Fred is exaggerating," said Ron, quickly.

"That's only because they kicked you out before you could open all the cages," said George.

"I was six!"

"It really was quite funny," added Charlie.  "You should have seen him going on about how the owls shouldn't be kept in cages.  All day long, there Ron was talking about how the owls must miss their families and how it was like putting them in jail.  As soon as Bill turned his back, Ron starts opening up all the cages and telling the owls to be free."

Both Snape and Kali found this very amusing.

"You actually did that?" asked Kali, tears forming in her eyes from laughing so hard.

"He has a lifetime ban at Eeylops," said George.  "There's a reason he has to go to the Magical Menagerie for everything for Pidwidgeon."

"Can we talk about someone else?" moaned Ron.

"Of course not," said Charlie.  "Your girlfriend and her father are here.  That means that we have to embarrass you.  It's no fun otherwise"

"Are you sure?  The story about Fred peeing his pants at The Leaky Cauldron is pretty funny."

"So are the jokes," sniggered George.  "Leaky Cauldron."

"I was seven and I really had to go, okay?" said Fred, smacking his twin across the head.  "You're supposed to be on my side."

"I am on your side.  See?  Here's a picture of Ron that I think you'll enjoy, Kali."

"George," hissed Ron, snatching the picture away from Kali, but not before she had both seen it and started laughing.  "I'm naked in that picture."

"Mum shows our naked baby pictures to our girlfriends," said Charlie.  "I don't know what made you think it would be any different with you."

"Ron, relax," said Kali.  "You were cute.  Besides, it isn't like I haven't seen you naked before."

"What?" asked Fred and George, sitting upright and staring at them.  This statement had also grabbed the strictest attention of Charlie, Percy, and Mrs. Weasley.  Snape, however, sighed and sat back in his armchair.

"You haven't seen me naked!" squealed Ron, looking up to meet the eyes of his family.  "She hasn't.  Really."

"No, but look at their faces," said Kali, snickering.

"I don't get it," said George.

"One of my daughter's highly unamusing jokes," drawled Snape, giving Kali a glare that would make most first years wet themselves.  "She somehow thinks it's funny to insinuate that she and Ron have had sex."

"I don't know what I'm going to do once we actually do have sex," she said.  "I mean, it's not funny once it's actually happened."

"It isn't funny before it's happened, either," snapped Snape.

"I think it is."

"You have the same sick sense of humor that Drusilla did.  I'm not entirely surprised."

"My sense of humor is not sick."

"Yes it is.  I fear that one day you're going to have a daughter with the Strauser sense of humor and she's going to use it against me the way both you and your mother did."  Kali started to laugh.  "It isn't funny, Kailah.  I think it's a phobia."

"I'm not laughing at that.  I'm trying to picture you as a grandfather."

"Very funny, Kailah."

"Hey there, Pop."

"Do stop that this instant."

"Sorry, Daddy.  Honestly, I wouldn't tease you so much if you weren't so uptight."  Fred, George, and Charlie could be heard producing stiff laughter at this.

"What do you think the chances of me relaxing are?"

She sighed.  "Slim to nil.  I don't see what the problem is.  It isn't like I'm telling you to go adopt Neville or anything."

This seemed to spark a fit of laughter in the living room of the Burrow.  Even Percy, who had seen Snape and Neville around each other and was still at school for the Boggart Snape incident, had to laugh at this.  Ron's embarrassment was forgotten as he imagined Snape adopting Neville Longbottom.  Snape, however, wasn't amused.

"What have I told you about making Neville a part of my family?"

"He actually thought of it?" asked George through his laughter.

"More like he thought of what would happen if I had dated Neville instead of Ron," answered Kali.  This seemed to make the Weasley children, minus Ginny, laugh even harder.  Mrs. Weasley nor the Weasley daughter looked happy at the outburst.

"It isn't that funny," snarled Snape, and looking like he was trying very hard not to take house points from even Charlie, who was long graduated.  "The thought of Longbottom genes mixing with my own. . ." Snape gave a shudder at this.

"What did he tell you about making Neville a part of your family?" asked Fred, once his laughter had abated. 

"He said I could marry Ron and have a Weasley litter for all he cared so long as I never procreated with Neville Longbottom."

If the laughter hadn't been tremendous before, it was at that moment.

"How do you even remember that?" asked Snape.

"I have a freakish memory when it comes to unimportant things like that."

"Obviously, as you frequently forget the things that I do insist you recall."

"Yeah.  Besides, I promised you I wouldn't do it and as I have yet to procreate with Neville, I would think you could be nicer to Ron.  It wouldn't hurt to be nice to Neville as well."  The laughter had reached a fever pitch.  "It wouldn't!  He tries!  He really does!"

"There isn't anything wrong with Neville," said Ginny, who had been dating Neville for little over a year now.

"No," agreed Ron.  "There's nothing wrong with Neville, it's just that Snape hates Neville.  That's not news, Ginny.  We all know that.  It's the thought of Snape being nice . . . I can't even say it."

Ginny continued to pout and her brothers laughed on.

~*~

It was the dead at night, and, for a change, the Weasley house was nearly silent as Kali crept out of Ginny's room.  It had only been forty-five minutes ago when Mrs. Weasley checked the clock and sent everyone to bed.  Knowing of Ron's plans for that night, she had promised him that they would be undisturbed and that included getting even the unruly twins into bed.  Kali had lay awake, afraid that Ginny wouldn't fall asleep and afraid that she would fall asleep, herself, before finding out what Ron's big surprise was.  Something had told her she didn't want to miss out on this.

It was now time for Kali to make her way down to the living room and she walked down the stairs, making her way to the first floor.  She tried not to wake away, forcing herself to keep her footsteps light, almost feathery, as she passed bedroom doors in the long trek down.  The last stairs were taken with her eyes on Ron, slumped up against the end of the couch, his head tilted down and reading some text.  That was usually how she had found him for the past few weeks, laboring over some book.  He really needed a break.  Gods, it felt like she thought that a lot about people.

"Hey, Ron," she said, breaking his concentration, and he slightly jumped when her voice cut through the air.

"Hey, Kali," he replied, shifting.  "I guess it's time, eh?"

"I guess, but you still haven't told me what my present is."

Ron took a deep breath and nodded.  "Kali, please take a seat."

She looked him over, frowned and sat down next to him.  "What's up?"

"Er - okay.  If you don't like it, just tell me.  I don't want you to pretend you like it or that you're touched or anything.  If you want to say no, please feel free to say no because I couldn't bear to go through with this if you weren't up for it one hundred percent."

"You're rambling, Ron.  I still don't know what it is, remember?"

"Right.  Well - er - you see, I couldn't find anything that was good enough for you.  I mean it, Kali.  You're so amazing that there's nothing good enough for you.  I wanted to do something really special for you and then I got this idea and Hermione's been helping me. . ."

"Ron?  Rambling."

"Right.  Sorry.  Anyway, There's this charm.  The Resurrectus Charm.  It's a time travel charm that allows a person from the past to be brought to the present.  The Ministry's put a ban on most time traveling charms but this one is still legal because once two hours are up, the person's memory gets scrambled in an automatic memory charm.  They go back to when they came from without any time being passed, and without any recollection of the events.  The only condition is that the person has to be dead for it to work."

"Where are you going with this, Ron?"

Ron bit his lip.  "I've been practicing with Hermione and I can work it well enough to perform it.  When it works right, these gold sparks shoot out of your wand and the person comes but if you perform it right, but you've called someone living, blue sparks come out.  Well, I've been getting blue sparks so I know I can do it."

"Does this have a point, Ron?"

"I'm getting there, Kali.  Now I understand if you don't want to use it but - er - I thought you might want to meet your mum."

Kali's jaw dropped and she stared, bug-eyed at Ron.

"Are you serious?"

"Well, I couldn't find you anything and you were talking about how you wished you had your mum for even a minute at the Three Broomsticks.  I remembered Hermione talking about her time traveling charms essay and I just put two and two together."

"And you can do it?  You're positive you can do it?"

"Well, yeah.  I told you, I've been practicing."

"I can't believe you even thought of that!"

"I told you, Kali.  I love you."

She threw her arms around Ron and pulled him as close to her as she physically could manage.  There were two streaks of tears flowing freely over her cheeks.  "I love you too, Ron," she said, hugging him.

"I understand if you don't want to do it. . ."

"I want to do it."

"You do?" he asked, feeling more surprised than he thought he would.  "Are you sure?  The Charm only works once on a person.  You couldn't bring her back again and you'd only have her for two hours.  I don't know - would that even make it better or would things be worse, having her and losing her?"

"It doesn't matter, Ron.  I won't have her, anyway, and I've never gotten to hug my mother.  Not once.  I want to do it.  If it gets harder, I guess that I'm just going to need you to support me."

"I can do that," he said, grinning.  "Should I do it now?"  She nodded.  Grabbing his wand from the table, Ron rolled up his sleeves.  He had been practicing for weeks, calling his own name and hoping just to get it right.  Now, however, this was for real and he was soon going to be face to face with a woman dead for seventeen years.  Not only that, but this woman was Kali's mother and Professor Snape's late fiancĂ©e.  "Resurrectio Drusilla Saradonna Strauser, Eninyt Neves Neetenint Srif Rebm Etpes."

There was a blinding blaze of golden sparks and light, an orb that seemed to surround Ron and Kali had to shield her eyes, look away, because she felt that if she didn't, she would go blind.  When she did dare to look up again, it was nothing like she had expected.  It hadn't all come at once like an apparition; instead, there was only an outline, a silhouette of a body.  That was followed by darker shadings, as if someone were drawing this figure by hand as she appeared.  The lines filled in, the colors started to emerge, and before them stood an exact replica of a woman they had only seen in photographs.  She was small, at least a head shorter than Ron, and she was staring at them both with the same, cobalt blue eyes that Kali possessed.

She gave a short, amused laugh as if someone were playing joke on her.  "Where am I, or is it when?  I suppose a bit of both," she said, looking around the room.  "Who are you?"

Ron gave a sideways look to Kali but she didn't look like she would be speaking any time soon.  "I - I'm Ron Weasley."

"I don't know a Ron Weasley," she replied.  "I know a Dane Weasley."

"That's my uncle," he said, softly.

"Are you one of Arthur's sons?"  Ron nodded and she laughed as a smug grin came across her face.  "So when am I?"

"Nineteen ninety-seven."

"Eighteen years in the future, eh?  So, Ron Weasley, where am I?"

"My house."

"That explained a lot," she said with a snort.  "You really are a Weasley.  Do you mind if I sit down?"

Ron waved his hand.  "Go ahead."

Sitting down, she shifted until she seemed comfortable.  Checking his watch, Ron saw they had already lost ten minutes of their two hours.

"How did you bring me here?"

"Er -" said Ron, not wanting to give anything away but remembering the built-in memory charm, he said, "Resurrectus Charm."

This seemed to catch her off-guard.  "I'm dead."  It wasn't a question.

"Yeah," said Ron, softly, as if afraid speaking too loudly would shatter Drusilla into pieces.

"When?" she finally asked, once she had found her voice again.

"Seventeen years ago," answered Kali, the first thing she had managed to say.  Her fight with tears failed her and they once again began to spill out of her eyelids to make tracks down her cheeks.  Wiping furiously at her eyes, Kali tried to take deep breaths and get herself under control, but this was too much for her.  "I've never heard her voice before," she whispered.

Drusilla's reverie seemed to break and for the first time since arriving, she took in the other girl, sitting in the corner.  "Who are you?" she asked, delicately.

"Mikailah Strauser," she answered.

Drusilla's hand instantly fell to cover her stomach.  "You're my little girl?"  Kali nodded and that was all it took before Drusilla was beside her, also crying, and hugging Kali until Ron thought one of them was going to burst.  "What happened?  Why - oh gods, why am I dead?  It wasn't - er - You-Know-Who, was it?"

Wiping her eyes again, Kali shook her head.  Looking just over Drusilla's shoulder, she motioned for Ron to come over.  "You - gods, you're my momma."  Ron sat down on the other side of Kali and let his hand fall to the small of her back.

"You died just after giving birth," whispered Ron.  Drusilla went pale.

Words seemed to fail her and all attempts ended up in severe cases of stuttering.  Finally, she managed to say, "You've never known me?"  Kali shook her head.

"It was Ron's Christmas gift to me.  So that I could meet you.  I've never gotten to hug you, or hear your voice, or tell you about what happened after a day at school."  The words started to pour out of Kali.  To Ron, it seemed that she had been bottling them up for longer than she cared to say.

"What a Christmas gift," mused Drusilla, forcing herself to look away from Kali, who she now partially cradled in her arms.  "Are you my daughter's boyfriend?"  Ron nodded.  "You're dating Ron Weasley," she mused with a grin.  "At least you have good taste in boys."

"Daddy would disagree."

For the first time since discovering who Kali was, Drusilla dropped her air of concern and rolled her eyes.  "Yes, I suppose Sev would."  At the mention of Snape, however, the concern went back up ten-fold.  "We never get married, do we?"

"No," Kali whispered, hugging her knees to her chest.  Drusilla's hands went to her throat.

"How much time do we have?  Has anyone been keeping track?"

"Twenty minutes are up," said Ron.  "A little more than twenty, but you know. . ."

"And hour and forty minutes," Drusilla muttered to herself.  "There's nothing else to do but make the best of that time, is there?  Get to know each other a little bit.  I know I'm not going to remember a thing when I go back but - it would be nice to know in the back of my head, even if the information is locked away.  I'll always know I'm going to have a beautiful daughter.  And Sev named you Mikailah."

Kali gave her a weak smile.  "I would like that."

Ron felt very much like a third wheel over the next sixty minutes.  Drusilla and Kali had bonded faster than he thought they would, and he figured it must have something to do with the maternal nature Drusilla must already have, as she was already four months pregnant with Kali as she sat there.  There had been a lot of hugging, a lot of tears, and even Ron had been pulled in for a hug from Drusilla at one point when Kali told her that she and Ron were in love.  Checking his watch, there was forty-seven minutes left, and he updated them, like he had been doing every twenty minutes since last being asked.

"I was so happy when I made Gryffindor because everyone says I'm so much like you," Kali was telling Drusilla.  "Especially Daddy.  He's always telling me that I remind him of you.  Sometimes it makes me sad because, before tonight, I've never known you.  Harry and I talk about it every once in a while.  It makes us feel better."

"Harry's a friend of yours, right?  I think you mentioned him once before.  Somewhere around a Malfoy."

"Yeah.  Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy."

"Potter?" she asked.  "Not James and Lily's son!"

"The one and the same."

"Why do you - oh gods, did Lily die, too?"

"Er - actually, both James and Lily died," she said, so soft they had to practically strain to hear her.  "In an attack by Voldemort."

"You said his name."

"Why shouldn't I?  It won't help any running around calling him 'You-Know-Who'.  It's giving him too much credit."

"You sound like Sev.  Where was Harry when James and Lily died?  Was he at Hogwarts?"

"Actually, Harry was just a baby.  Voldemort tried to kill him but it didn't work.  I guess because Lily sacrificed herself to save Harry."

"That poor boy doesn't remember his parents, either?  What happened to him?  I suppose he went to live with either Sirius or Remus."

"Harry wishes," said Ron, snorting.  "He went to live on Privet Drive with these awful muggle relatives of his, the Dursleys."

"Oh gods," she said, scrunching up her face.  "Not Petunia and Vernon!"  Ron nodded, miserably.  "Why would anyone want to do that to a child?  Why didn't he live with Sirius?  I'm sure that's who James would have wanted him to go to."

"Sirius - eh - he went to Azkaban."

"WHAT?"  Out of all the things she had heard so far, this was the one thing she just couldn't buy.  Ron found it rather interesting, if not amusing.  "What could Sirius do that would make him go to Azkaban?"

"He was convicted of betraying Lily and James," said Ron, quickly, and wanting to get the whole story out but Drusilla would hear no more.

"He wouldn't!  Sirius was James's best friend.  He would have never -"

"I'm not done," Ron said.

"Er - sorry."  She looked at him, sheepish, but still awaiting him to finish rather impatiently.

"They were using the Fidelius Charm and Sirius was their Secret Keeper.  No one knew that they switched to Wormtail and Wormtail went to Voldemort."

"Peter?  You can't mean Peter Pettigrew."

"Unfortunately, I do."

"Little Peter?  Millimeter Peter?"

"Er - sure.  If that's what you called him.  I call him a murdering traitor."

Drusilla shrugged.  "I'm dead.  James and Lily are dead.  I can believe Peter before I can believe Sirius.  Continue."

"Well - er - Wormtail pretended to confront Sirius before blowing the street to bits, faking his own death, and killing twelve muggles in the process.  You can imagine what it must have looked like to the ministry, Peter gone and twelve dead."

"So Sirius was charged with the murder of twelve muggles, Peter, and went to Azkaban," finished Drusilla, sounding sincerely heartbroken.  "That poor dear.  How do you know he's innocent?"

"He broke out of Azkaban four years ago and came looking for Wormtail."

"He broke out of Azkaban?"  She gave a low whistle.  "Wow, Sirius."

"His name was cleared just last summer.  Until then, he was on the run from the Ministry.  They made it so he would be given the dementor's kiss."

"Oh gods," she said, clutching her chest.  "He's okay, isn't he?  Tell me Sirius is okay."

"He's fine.  Harry lives with him now in Godric's Hollow.  He's there for Christmas with Draco Malfoy."

"Lucius's son?"  Ron nodded.  "Lucius Malfoy's son is friends with James Potter's son?"

"More than friends," said Kali.  "They're dating."

Drusilla burst out into laughter.  "Wow."

"Kaliah?" came a deep, male voice and all three sets of eyes connected.  Panicking, Ron checked his watch to see that there was still thirty minutes left until Drusilla would go back.

"What is he doing up?" she hissed.  "You have to hide.  He can't see you here."  Drusilla, however, was frozen, staring at the staircase where Snape was now descending.  Ron had just managed to shove her into the kitchen when he could hear Snape come into the living room.

"What are you doing down here, Kailah?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"Ginny Weasley came to see if I knew where you were.  Apparently, she woke up and noticed you were missing."

"I was just talking to Ron, Daddy.  It's nothing to worry about."

"Where is Mister Weasley, at that?"

"Bathroom," she lied.  He arched an eyebrow and glanced around the room, giving her a curt nod.  "You need to get more sleep, Daddy.  I don't like that you don't sleep."

"I do try, Kailah.  Nightmares, however, aren't my favorite experience.  I try to stay away from them."

"You need to sleep."

"So do you."

"Fair enough.  I'll be up in a half hour.  Let Ginny know."

"Fine."  He gave her a quick hug.  "Goodnight, Kailah."

"Night, Daddy."

"I love you."

"Love you, too."

Snape turned to leave, heading for the stairs.  A loud grunt came from the kitchen and Ron sprawled out on the floor to have Drusilla step over him.

"Why did you shove me in there?" she wailed, "And why aren't you sleeping, Severus?"

It seemed as if the entire world had stopped turning.  Kali could feel her stomach clench and Snape, ever so slowly, turned on the stairs to look down at Drusilla.  As soon as he saw her, his eyes clenched shut, he briefly swayed, and then came crashing to the ground.

"Sev!" she called, rushing over to him.

"She wouldn't stay in there," muttered Ron, as Kali helped him up and they made their way over to Snape and Drusilla.

Leaning over him, Drusilla was poking and prodding at him, making random comments ("He looks so old.") while trying to revive him.  Running one thumb along his full, lower lip, she ran the other over his brow and bent down to kiss him between the eyes.

"That is so weird," mused Ron, watching them.  Kali, eyes misting again, nodded.

His eyelids fluttered and then opened slowly, taking in the three faces bent over him.

"I've been spending too long around Neville Longbottom.  His concoctions seem to be having a long term effect that requires me to check myself into St. Mungo's.  Kailah, if you are Kailah, I hope you can take care of yourself."

"Don't be so melodramatic, Daddy," said Kali as Drusilla snorted.

"Gods, Sev, really.  You act as if you've seen a ghost."  She began to chuckle at her pathetic attempt of a joke.

"Drusilla," he said, plainly.

"Severus."

"You're dead."

"So I've heard.  I think you banged your head when you fell."

"No," he said, pulling away from her touch.  "You don't understand.  You're dead."

"From how I hear it, a lot of people are dead."

"How - why am I standing here talking to a dead woman?  Am I hallucinating?  Kailah, do you see this?"

Kali and Drusilla simultaneously rolled their eyes.  "It's not a hallucination, Sev.  I'm Ron's Christmas present, in a manner of speaking.  He used the Resurrectus Charm."  She reached out to brush his cheek but he jerked away.  "What's wrong?"

"I'm standing across from a woman that's been dead for seventeen years and she has the audacity to ask what's wrong.  That's rich," he muttered to himself.  "You're dead, Drusilla.  Gods, Kailah, what were you thinking?"

"What was I thinking?" asked Kali, feeling like the last of her buttons had been pushed.  "I was thinking that I've never heard my momma's voice, or gotten the chance to hug her, or hear that she was proud of me!  I know Momma's up in heaven and watching down on me.  I know she's proud of me but I never got to hear it and here was Ron giving me that chance.  I don't care that it's only for two hours and then it's gone forever.  I just care that I got to hear her say my name and hug me."

"Kailah, that is not your mother.  You're mother is dead."

"I'm sorry, Sev, but I'm very much alive," snapped Drusilla.  "Don't talk to Kailah like that."

"Don't talk to Kailah like that?" he said, incredulous.  "Where do you get off telling me how to talk to her?  I'm the one who raised her.  Granted, I made mistakes but that's what happens when you're a single parent.  You died, Drusilla.  Go back to whenever you came from because you're dead to me.  You have been for seventeen years now."

Feeling very out of place, Ron backed up toward the kitchen.  No one seemed to be missing him, anyway.

"I'm sorry," whispered Kali.  "I just wanted a chance, Daddy.  You knew her.  All I ever heard were stories."  She went into a fresh batch of tears.

"Now look at what you did," snapped Drusilla, abruptly turning to face Ron.  "Ron, how much time do we have?"

He checked his watch.  "Thirteen minutes."

"Thank you."  Turning back to Snape, she said, "Well there you go, Sev.  Kailah's never known me so her boyfriend tried to give her something she's wanted since she realized she didn't have a mother.  You made her feel guilty for wanting that, made her cry, and spent the last time we'll ever have to be together fighting with me."  She stopped her harangue, rubbing at her face.

Looking past Drusilla, he walked over to Kali and wrapped his arms around her.  "I'm sorry, Kailah.  I didn't mean to yell at you.  Can you and Ron give me five minutes with Dru?"

"Sure."  She returned his hug before letting go and leaving to where Ron was hiding in the kitchen, ten minutes on the clock.

"I'm sorry," they both said and small, sad smiles crossed each face.

"We always do that," said Drusilla.  Snape nodded his agreement.  "I am sorry.  I didn't mean that.  I've been talking to her for over an hour and she's amazing, Sev.  You've done a great job raising her.  I'm impressed."

"Don't be.  She spent most of her life with Serena in the middle of nowhere, Pennsylvania."

"She loves you very much."

"The feeling is mutual."  There was a long silence.  "You only have ten minutes left here."  She nodded.  "Dru, I'm sorry.  I really am.  I'm having a hard time dealing with losing you, even seventeen years later."

"Kailah said you haven't married."

"No one comes close to what I lost."

She fixed him with her eyes.  "I love you.  I'm sorry we don't get the chance to get married."

"That makes two of us . . . I didn't mean to yell."

"Neither did I.  Emotions are running high.  Our words just got away from us."

"They used to do that a lot.  I'm not accustomed to that.  These days I'm cold and unfeeling."

"I hear you try very hard."

"Kailah said that, didn't she?"  Drusilla gave a soft laugh and nodded.  "She sees right through my act.  You weren't fooled and neither is she."

"I don't know how anyone could be," she mused.  "You're very bad at it."

He gave her a lop-sided grin.

"Five minutes," interrupted Ron, sticking his head in the doorway.  Just behind him in the shadows was Kali, looking more than apprehensive about rejoining, but Snape waved them both in.

"We're in love again," said Drusilla, grinning.  "Our petty fight has officially blown over."

"Good," said Kali, as she gravitated to Snape's side.  "I guess you're going to go soon."

Drusilla nodded.  "I'd stay here forever if I could but - you know.  I'm dead and you would never be born . . . Sev, I mean it.  You did an amazing job."

"I tried."

"I can feel myself going," she said.  "Before it's too late -"  Her voice trailed off as she crossed the room and wrapped all three, Ron and all, into a group hug.  "I love you, Sev," she said, placing a hand on either side of his face and lightly brushing her lips against his in what would be the last kiss he would ever receive from her.

"I love you, too," he whispered, voice hoarse.

"And you two," she said, turning to Ron and Kali and sighing.  "He's a good pick."  Ron blushed.

"Unfortunately," Snape drawled, "she's right."

"I always am," she said, smirking.  "You take care of her, Ron."

"I have no doubts that he will," added Snape.  Both Ron and Kali stared at him, gawking.  "Don't look so surprised, Mr. Weasley.  I don't let just anyone tell my daughter that they love her.  Had I felt it necessary, I could have scared you away by now."

"Kailah," said Drusilla, turning her smile from Snape to Kali, "I love you, baby.  I'm more than confident that no matter where I go when I die, I'm going to be proud of you."

"I love you, Momma," she said, the two girls embracing, and then Drusilla faded into nothing more than a memory.

So things were kind of crazy, but, you know, what else do you expect?

Next chapter is a return to Hogwarts, and Draco preparing to rejoin his classes.

The Insane Floo Pot:  Your wait wasn't very long, was it?  My cots?  I don't know.  I didn't realize I mentioned them that much.  I am feeling much better, thank you for asking.  Glad you enjoyed both chapters.  I would love to live in a place like the Burrow as well, but Ron doesn't see it as such a wonderful place.

beautifulelf:  Thanks for the compliments.  I don't know who will end up dominant, yet.  Something that has to develop naturally, I suppose.

Daisy8781:  If all doctors prescribed Alan for treatment, I'd go to the doctor more often.

Tine:  Um, just a comment.  I don't think I said Drusilla was Head Girl.  The quote was "we were all in your mum's rooms - she was Head Girl", meaning that Lily was Head Girl.  Onto other things, weren't the deleted/extended scenes on the DVD wonderful?  I loved the Borgin and Burkes, the extra Colin Creevy, and that bit with Lockhart's quiz.  Very funny.

Skysong:  Will keep you in mind if I ever need research done.  Glad you're enjoying.

Makalaseri:  For the purpose of this story, Sirius and Remus are just friends.  I didn't even think of putting the two together until it was too late to do, so oh well.

SparkySparkles:  I did not consider Snape and Ron getting presents for each other.  Hm.  That would have been amusing.  For what I've written, no, they didn't.  Shame, though.  Talk about something to laugh at.

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